There is a crisis

From the Rolling Stone interview with Paul Krugman:

But you need to have some perspective on the seriousness of this whole thing. On the day the trust fund is exhausted, Social Security revenue will cover about eighty percent of the cost of benefits. Right now — today — if you look at the U.S. government outside of Social Security, revenue covers only about sixty-eight percent of total government spending. So on the day the trust fund is exhausted, forty-seven years from now, Social Security will be in better financial shape than the rest of the U.S. government is today.
…

It’s hard to understand why anyone would want to return us to the days before the New Deal, when millions of elderly people lived in poverty. But if you really dislike the notion that the government provides a safety net for the poor, then Social Security is the prime target. The U.S. government is a big insurance company, with a side business in national security. Social Security is the biggest social-insurance program that we have. It’s been highly successful, and it’s extremely popular. It’s one of the things that makes people feel somewhat good about government — and so, therefore, it must go.

Wayward Angel

From NPR, another new singer:

When Kasey Chambers was dubbed the “the freshest young voice in American roots music” by Rolling Stone magazine, it was quite an achievement — especially considering that the singer-songwriter hails from the Australian outback. Her clear tone evokes a whole history of country, with shades of Dolly Parton, Emmylou Harris and the Carter Family.

At the moment NewMexiKen is blogging to Chambers’ album Wayward Angel and finding it a pleasure.

Thanks to Veronica for the pointer.

Trying too hard to be the next Norah

There’s another full page ad in today’s New York Times promoting the singer Katie Melua. NewMexiKen bought Melua’s CD a couple of weeks ago and gave her a mention here.

It’s a fun CD, but as I’ve read elsewhere in the desperation to market Melua they had her sing every type of song. Some she does well and are worth playing again and again. Some she does OK. Some suck.

Best line of the day, so far

“Prince Harry has embarrassed the royal family yet again. He showed up at a party dressed as the Jets kicker.”

Letterman

The first college basketball game …

was on this date in 1896. The Library of Congress has the details, beginning with:

On January 18, 1896, H.J. Kallenberg, an instructor of physical education at the University of Iowa, welcomed Amos Alonzo Stagg, athletic director at the recently founded University of Chicago, to Iowa City for an experimental game in a new sport. The contest, refereed by Kallenberg, was the first college basketball game played with five players on each side. The University of Chicago won by a score of 15 to 12.

Carmen San Diego update

The Christmas package left the FedEx sort facility in Sacramento this morning.

The package originated in Raleigh, 1761 miles from Albuquerque.

Sacramento is 1,090 miles from Albuquerque.

In opposite directions!

Never have your photo taken and then become famous

Bill Gates Strikes a Pose for Teen Beat Photospread (ca. 1984).

Or take a look at this mug shot from NewMexiKen’s very own Albuquerque Police Department. Surely you will recognize Albuquerque’s most famous short-term resident. The arrest in 1977 was related to a traffic violation.

Update. From the Santa Fe New Mexican via dangerousmeta, the original Microsoft team in Albuquerque (1978). Story here.

A personal financial crisis

Joshua Marshall also points out:

One thing we tend to take for granted, if nothing else, is that the 43rd president is a wealthy man. After all, that’s the reward of a lifetime’s work running companies into the ground and then handing them off to your dad’s cronies.

But if you look at his most recent federal financial disclosure form from May 2004, you’ll see that a good percentage of President Bush’s personal wealth is tied up in (horribile dictu!) US Treasury notes, i.e., a worthless stack of paper/IOUs.

Fun with numbers

From Talking Points Memo by Joshua Micah Marshall:

We were curious to find out which congressional districts had the largest number of Social Security beneficiaries.

Here’s what we came up with …

FL 5 (250,771) Brown-Waite, Ginny (R)
FL 19 (184,624) Wexler, Robert (D)
FL 13 (182,035) Harris, Katherine (R)
FL 14 (181,094) Mack, Connie (R)
FL 16 (178,715) Foley, Mark (R)
AZ 2 (167,294) Franks, Trent (R)
MT (163,655) Rehberg, Dennis (R)
MI 1 (163,632) Stupak, Bart (D)
VA 9 (162,005) Boucher, Rick (D)
FL 15 (160,986) Weldon, Dave (R)

No more baby butts

From The Washington Post:

Fox felt it had to pixelate the bare bottom of animated tot Stewie in an episode of “Family Guy” that aired a couple of weeks ago.

Makes me proud to be an American.

Hubris time

From The Washington Post:

President Bush said the public’s decision to reelect him was a ratification of his approach toward Iraq and that there was no reason to hold any administration officials accountable for mistakes or misjudgments in prewar planning or managing the violent aftermath.

“We had an accountability moment, and that’s called the 2004 elections,” Bush said in an interview with The Washington Post. “The American people listened to different assessments made about what was taking place in Iraq, and they looked at the two candidates, and chose me.”

It’s the birthday

… of Kevin Costner. Costner won the Oscars for Diretor and Best Picture for Dances With Wolves and was nominated for the best actor Oscar for his portrayal of Lt. John Dunbar. He’s 50 today.

It’s also the birthday of Cary Grant (Archibald Alexander Leach, 1904-1986) and Danny Kaye (David Daniel Kaminski, 1913-1987).

White Sands National Monument …

was proclaimed by President Herbert Hoover on this date in 1933. From the National Park Service:

At the northern end of the Chihuahuan Desert lies a mountain ringed valley called the Tularosa Basin. Rising from the heart of this basin is one of the world’s great natural wonders – the glistening white sands of New Mexico.

Here, great wave-like dunes of gypsum sand have engulfed 275 square miles of desert and have created the world’s largest gypsum dune field. The brilliant white dunes are ever changing: growing, cresting, then slumping, but always advancing. Slowly but relentlessly the sand, driven by strong southwest winds, covers everything in its path. Within the extremely harsh environment of the dune field, even plants and animals adapted to desert conditions struggle to survive. Only a few species of plants grow rapidly enough to survive burial by moving dunes, but several types of small animals have evolved a white coloration that camouflages them in the gypsum sand.

White Sands National Monument preserves a major portion of this gypsum dune field, along with the plants and animals that have successfully adapted to this constantly changing environment.

Recommended

In Sunday’s The New York Times Magazine, Roger Lowenstein has an excellent survey of the history, current status and possible reforms for Social Security. This is an article you need to read if you want to be informed on this vital issue for Americans.

Where in the world is Carmen San Diego?

A Christmas gift intended for NewMexiKen has visited more states than a well-travelled RV. Intiially promised by the vendor for Christmas Eve delivery, the original shipment didn’t even leave their facility until December 27. My daughter refused delivery when it arrived at her house in Virginia long after I had returned to New Mexico.

When the refused package finally got back to the vendor 10 days later, they agreed to ship it to Albuquerque. Leaving North Carolina a week ago the package is now in Sacramento, California. I’ll keep you posted.